Matteo Guendouzi urged to make Arsenal transfer by former Gunners striker Jeremie Aliadiere

Merci

The 19-year-old midfielder joined from Ligue 2 side Lorient in France where he played with Aliadiere and apparently turned down Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund in the process

It seems Arsenal have been lucky when it comes French club Lorient.

They signed defender Laurent Koscielny from there in 2010 and appear to have plucked another gem Matteo Guendouzi.

Last month the midfielder revealed talks with former Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere – a Lorient team-mate – convinced him to snub the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund and sign for the Gunners.

Aliadiere, who joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old, was in no doubt about Guendouzi’s quality

The 19-year-old has played in all four Premier League games so far under manager Unai Emery and has excited Gooners.

“It’s true there were a lot of clubs interested in me — I had talks with some of the biggest clubs in Europe,” Guendouzi revealed.

“But as soon as I heard from Arsenal, the decision was very simple and I’m very happy to be here.

“I did speak to Jeremie about Arsenal and he said it’s a place where I can progress and learn a great deal from the staff here.

“He always spoke very positively and that made me feel very confident in the choice that I’d made. It’s the club of my heart.

“There have been a lot of French players here and Thierry Henry is a symbol in France after his long career here. I used to watch Arsenal games with my father and it has a special place in my heart.”

Matteo Guendouzi joined Arsenal from Lorient in the summer

And Aliadiere, 35, has confirmed he did give his former club a glowing reference.

“I knew when I first saw Matteo that he had something special and that a lot of clubs would be after him,” he said.

“I said to him that for his development Arsenal would definitely be the right place for him. You can go to big clubs and never get a chance but Arsenal always give you a chance to their young players.”

Aliadiere came through the Gunners’ academy, having joined at 16, before making his debut in the 2001/02 season. He never managed to nail down a regular first team spot, but has fond memories of the club he left for good in 2007.